Caterpillar’s Peterlee site celebrates production landmark

Caterpillar’s Peterlee production site, located in County Durham on the north-east coast of England, has celebrated production of 70,000 examples of Cat articulated dump trucks.

Operated as DJB Engineering in the 1970s, the site became a Caterpillar production site in the mid 1990s. Since then, Peterlee has become the center of operations for the design and production of articulated dumpers which are distributed worldwide.

‘This is a remarkable milestone that reflects decades of teamwork, expertise, and dedication across every area of our operation,’ said Adam Freeman, director of Product Value Stream.

Staff at Caterpillar’s Peterlee site celebrate the production landmark (Photo: Caterpillar)

“Since the first articulated truck rolled off the line more than 50 years ago, our teams have continued to push boundaries in safety, quality, innovation and customer productivity. Reaching 70,000 units is not only a testament to the strength of our product, but also to the commitment and craftsmanship of the people who design, develop and build it.”

Since becoming part of the Caterpillar production network, the Peterlee site has undergone a series of upgrades to improve manufacturing capabilities, including the addition of robotics and other automation.

The plant employs hundreds of workers from the surrounding area, with many families having multiple generations working at the factory, which was noted by director of Operations, Jason Maw.

“We’re incredibly proud of our longstanding presence in the community,” he said. “Many of our employees have been with us for decades, starting through our long-established apprenticeship programme – and it’s not unusual to see parents, children, and even grandchildren working here. That connection to the town is a huge part of who we are.”

Six core models of articulated dump trucks are produced at Peterlee. These include the Cat 725 (25-tonne capacity), Cat 730 (30 tonne), Cat 730 EJ (30-tonne with ejector mechanism), Cat 740 (40 tonne), Cat 740 EJ and Cat 745 (45 tonne).

The dumpers are exported around the world for use in various heavy industries, including construction, mining and aggregates.